a sigh for a sigh

she gave the loudest sigh ever, reverberating the silence with her mournful sound.

granny has just took another fall. perhaps not as serious as the fall a couple years ago where she broke her leg and required surgery, this time she twisted her arm and has to be in a cast for several weeks. she sat there, ever so sad and forlorn. i am going to die, she sighed. ever the dramatic persona, she says that at least once or twice a week, especially when everybody is too caught up in their own lives. i don't see anything wrong with her playing up once in a while; everybody needs attention every so often. then again, i only listen to her dramatic predictions every once in a long while. there is only so much i can think of to talk to her. she has never been in my life much when i was growing up, being so far away in her own town and running her little shop. then again, my paternal grandma who had always been in the vicinity never appeared much in the reel of film that is my life either. come to think of it, big as our extended families are, with a total of 7 aunties and 6 uncles, none of them ever played any role in my life as i grew up. no uncle who bring us to the park, no aunty who bought us ice-cream, no granny who knitted sweaters. for that matter, no brother who stood up for me, who bought me little gifts, who helped me with my homework or looked after my welfare either. i'm digressing into this big major soppy feel-sorry-for-myself episode. bah humbug!

as i was saying, granny was feeling very sorry for herself. is your hand hurting, i asked. she shook her head and gave another loud sigh. i'm going to die. i told her that it wasn't so bad, she's able to sleep, she's able to eat, she's able to go out. we just had the most extravagant seafood dinner in celebration of father's day the night before. life wasn't so bad. it felt strange for someone much younger to remind her to count her blessings. true, life isn't just about the three things, but knowing how to be contented is the key to a happy life. still, granny sighed. when you return to your town, remember not to jump up and down anymore, ok. don't attempt any aerobics. my attempt at humour was met with a blank stare. i'm almost tempted to sigh too.

after our little chat, she never once told me again that she is going to die. she did however continue to sigh. a lot. sigh.